diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 7150f3d1d..1049abc4c 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ linux (3.17.2-1~exp1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
     - support for AT_EMPTY_PATH/LOOKUP_EMPTY
     - Show union filesystem paths in /proc/*/map_files/*
     - bugfix, fix the returning size of the branch attr
+  * Make gcc-4.9 the default compiler (except on s390*)
 
  -- Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>  Thu, 06 Nov 2014 21:01:22 +0000
 
diff --git a/debian/config/defines b/debian/config/defines
index 298d735ee..2a616160e 100644
--- a/debian/config/defines
+++ b/debian/config/defines
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ arches:
  sparc
  sparc64
  x32
-compiler: gcc-4.8
+compiler: gcc-4.9
 featuresets:
  none
  rt
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ gcc-4.4: gcc-4.4
 gcc-4.6: gcc-4.6
 gcc-4.7: gcc-4.7
 gcc-4.8: gcc-4.8
+gcc-4.9: gcc-4.9
 
 # initramfs-generators
 initramfs-fallback: linux-initramfs-tool
diff --git a/debian/config/s390/defines b/debian/config/s390/defines
index 21cca5435..fb66f34e2 100644
--- a/debian/config/s390/defines
+++ b/debian/config/s390/defines
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 flavours:
  s390x
 kernel-arch: s390
+# gcc 4.9 breaks access to virtual address 0
+compiler: gcc-4.8
 
 [build]
 image-file: arch/s390/boot/image
diff --git a/debian/config/s390x/defines b/debian/config/s390x/defines
index 21cca5435..fb66f34e2 100644
--- a/debian/config/s390x/defines
+++ b/debian/config/s390x/defines
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 flavours:
  s390x
 kernel-arch: s390
+# gcc 4.9 breaks access to virtual address 0
+compiler: gcc-4.8
 
 [build]
 image-file: arch/s390/boot/image
diff --git a/debian/templates/control.extra.in b/debian/templates/control.extra.in
index 6c955780a..30aa11a6a 100644
--- a/debian/templates/control.extra.in
+++ b/debian/templates/control.extra.in
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-Package: linux-compiler-gcc-4.8-arm
-Depends: gcc-4.8, ${misc:Depends}
+Package: linux-compiler-gcc-4.9-arm
+Depends: gcc-4.9, ${misc:Depends}
 Architecture: armel armhf
 Multi-Arch: foreign
 Description: Compiler for Linux on ARM (meta-package)
- This package depends on gcc 4.8 of the appropriate architecture for
+ This package depends on gcc 4.9 of the appropriate architecture for
  Linux on armel and armhf.
 
 Package: linux-compiler-gcc-4.8-s390
@@ -14,10 +14,10 @@ Description: Compiler for Linux on IBM zSeries (meta-package)
  This package depends on gcc 4.8 of the appropriate architecture for
  Linux on s390 and s390x.
 
-Package: linux-compiler-gcc-4.8-x86
-Depends: gcc-4.8, ${misc:Depends}
+Package: linux-compiler-gcc-4.9-x86
+Depends: gcc-4.9, ${misc:Depends}
 Architecture: amd64 i386 x32
 Multi-Arch: foreign
 Description: Compiler for Linux on x86 (meta-package)
- This package depends on gcc 4.8 of the appropriate architecture for
+ This package depends on gcc 4.9 of the appropriate architecture for
  Linux on amd64, i386 and x32.